Marital Problems in the Military: Uncovering Gender and Dual Military Marriage Differences

Active duty women are married to other active duty members and divorce at higher rates than active duty men. Despite these known gender differences in military marriage types and although military theoretical frameworks acknowledge servicewomens different family structures, little is known about the types of marital problems that active duty men and women face, how problems differ by gender, and challenges potentially unique to dual-married members. This study utilized 2017 Air Force Community Feedback Tool data to examine gender differences in married active duty members (n=28,745) reports of romantic relationship difficulties experienced over the previous year (e.g., divorce, communication problems, abuse, changing roles, living far apart). Results indicate that servicewomen report all problems at higher rates than servicemen, and that dual married members report more and different problems than members with civilian spouses. Implications for future research, policy and programming, as well as leadership and clinical practice are discussed.